Gray Masks
by moonshadow2012
Summary: Nightwing took a leave of absence from the Team - not to mourn Wally, but to bring him back. And he's prepared to sacrifice almost everything to save his best friend. Artemis finds herself on this dangerous and illegal mission with her friend. Both of them are broken. Can they heal each other? Spitfire and Traught. Better than it sounds!


**Song: Run by Daughter**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 _While I powder my nose_

 _He will powder his guns_

 _And if I try to get close_

 _He is already gone_

She brushes her long blond hair absently, staring into the mirror at her face. It seems like the face of a stranger – not because she looks different, but because she looks the same as she always has. As she had before everything.

Now, the world is different and she is different and everybody she has ever known is different, but her face is the same. She stares at herself and wishes she could reach into the past and warn the girl she's looking at about her future. Tell her to get out while she can.

A black gauntlet reaches around her, brushing her waist as it clasps the handle of a drawer and pulls. Another gauntlet circles from the other side, rummaging through the medications she'd snatched from the drug store just in case.

She lets her eyes wander to him in the mirror. He isn't looking at her, but he knows she is staring at him. There isn't the awkwardness of invasions of privacy between them. They are both broken and neither one of them has a heart whole enough to blush at the closeness.

"Are you hurt?" She hears herself ask, her voice dull and flat.

"No." He pulls back, a bottle clutched in his fist. "I just need to make sure a certain someone stays down long enough for me to get the stuff we need."

She watches him as he walks for the door. "Dick," She calls suddenly.

He turns, mask hiding the question in his eyes. "Artemis?"

She winces a little at the name, but forces a small smile. "Stay traught, okay?"

He smiles back.

 _Don't know where he's going_

 _Don't know what he's done_

He hasn't asked her to help him since the undercover mission that marked the beginning of the end. He didn't even ask her to come with him, he just dropped in her window one night when she was curled up in one of Wally's old sweatshirts and told her about his plan while he threw her clothes into a backpack.

She doesn't know where he's putting everything that he's taken. She knows that they move after every job and that the car is small and rusted and empty but for fake ID's and their four bags – one for clothes, one for _other_ things each.

She thinks that what he is doing is illegal and that she's an accomplice, but she doesn't really care because she misses Wally _so bad_ and if there's even a _chance_ that Dick can get him back she will turn a blind eye to cold-blooded murder.

So she doesn't ask when he leaves at night in an unmarked black suit and she shakes awake in the passenger seat of the car twelve hours later because something went wrong and they needed to leave.

"You could have woken me." She says.

"I'm sorry." But he won't wake her next time and they both know it. He's trying his best to take care of her like he'd always promised Wally, but he's barely eighteen and that's too young to deal with all this. She doesn't think there's ever going to be an age that isn't too young for all this.

 _He is restless at night_

 _Cause he has horrible dreams_

 _So we lay in the dark_

 _We've got nothing to say_

 _Just the beating of hearts_

 _Like two drums in the grey_

Dick is always scheming and most times she'll never see him sleep. But sometimes he'll climb into his bed or curl up in an armchair or lie on a couch and together they'll stare at the ceiling, listening to each other breathe. Those are her favorite nights. His breaths will sing her to sleep and she'll fall into a dreamless black with no nightmares.

She knows he has nightmares too. After all, Wally was his best friend and they were in a fight just before it happened. They never made up. Artemis wonders if that's part of the reason he's trying so hard: because he feels guilty. _She_ still feels guilty for leaving him for so long. Wally, not Dick. Dick never needed her. He still doesn't. That's the part that confuses her. Because why is she here if she's not going to be any help?

 _I don't know what we're doing_

 _I don't know what we've done_

 _But the fire is coming_

 _So I think we should run_

 _I think we should run, run, run, run_

Dick grabs Artemis' hand and pulls her out to the car. He pushes her into the driver's seat and huddles into the passenger side, mumbling directions while struggling out of his protective gear. Soon enough he's in an undershirt, wrapping his bloodied forearm with his feet propped up on the dashboard. She hopes there isn't an airbag under there because with every wince he presses his boots harder into the compartment and she knows from experience that there is only so much pressure air bag hatches can take.

"What happened?" She asks.

"Guy got a lucky swipe." He hisses, ripping some medical tape with his teeth and securing the gauze to the wound.

"Dagger?" She guesses.

"You know your weapons." Dick throws her a smirk.

Artemis realizes suddenly what is so terrifying about him; it's his unflappable persona. He seems so resilient all the time. Everyone looks to him to keep a grin when things get nasty. She wonders if she's the only person who's ever taken the time to see that it's a front. She wonders if Wally did, but thinking of Wally is still too painful and she pushes those thoughts aside.

"You need to let me help you." She says. She's not asking. "You brought me for a reason."

"I brought you because I knew you would want to be there when it works." He replies.

She glances sideways at him. "And you're sure it will work?"

Dick meets her eyes. "Yes." He says. Because he has to be. He doesn't know what else to do.

 _While I put on my shoes_

 _He will button his coat_

 _And we will step outside_

 _Checking that the coast is_

 _Clear on both sides_

 _We don't want to be seen_

Artemis and Dick both go out that night. She's dressed in black like he is and if they were who they have been she would make a joke about being ninjas.

Dick leads her across rooftops until they get to a science lab. He jimmies open the skylight and they drop in. It's remarkably easy to take whatever he tells Artemis they need and hide it in her quiver. She feels like the lowest of the low. They're supposed to be stopping crimes, not committing them…but then she thinks this must be love because she knows won't stop doing whatever it takes to even _maybe_ bring Wally back.

"We'll return it when we're done." Dick says, as if reading her mind.

Artemis just nods. It doesn't make her feel any less like a villain, but it was sweet of him to try.

They sneak the equipment out to the alleyway and Dick zaps it with some sort of handheld machine. "A portable zeta-beam." He explains. "It's linked to just one location."

"Who's at the location?" Artemis asks.

"Someone who knows more about the Speed Force than I do."

She wants to ask more questions – she has many – but she lets him have his secrets. After so many years, she's not sure what else holds him together.

 _Oh, this is suicide_

 _But you can't see the ropes_

"What are we going to do when this is over?"

They're staring at the ceiling again tonight, hearts just beginning to slow down as the adrenaline from their night's activities wears off. Artemis knows Dick has a plan – he always does – and she knows she's not going to like it. She can't sleep right now anyway, so she might as well argue with him over it.

Dick rolls onto his side, propping his head up on his hand. "I'm going to turn myself over to the Justice League."

"I suppose you're not planning on giving credit where credit is due." The sarcasm slips out of Artemis' lips. It tastes good after all these weeks of a steady diet of solemn pain.

"This is my thing." He says. "I'll take the responsibility for it."

"It's my thing too." She retorts. "He was…" She swallows, then forges on. "He was my boyfriend."

"Which is why I can't let you go down with me."

Artemis turns to look at her friend and is caught off guard by the sincerity in those blue eyes.

"Wally's going to need you when he gets back." Dick finishes after a moment.

"He's going to need you too." She feels like she's pleading now, and she doesn't like it.

He smiles wistfully. "Wally hasn't needed me for a long time."

And still, he is willing to sacrifice everything for him: his reputation, his alliances, maybe even his freedom. It makes her sick to think of her bird in a cage, but she knows it's altogether possible at this point. After his deception, Dick has been left on thin ice with both the League and the Team. He barely managed not to be booted out with his clever "leave of absence" misdirection. After this…Artemis shivers.

"I won't let you go down for this." She says.

He smiles: a true smile this time. "And I won't let you."

 _And I won't tell my mother_

 _It's better she don't know_

 _And he won't tell his folks cause_

 _They're already ghosts_

"How close are we?" Artemis asks one morning.

"Close." Dick replies.

" _How_ close?"

He sighs. "One more job. Then we rendezvous with our expert in Bermuda."

"Why Bermuda?" She has a niggling suspicion that it might have to do with a legend. She really doesn't like when that happens. It's her pet peeve, actually.

"The Triangle." He raises his palms apologetically, "Apparently it's where the dimensional barriers are weakest."

"Unfortunately, that makes sense."

Artemis frowns. Dick is staring at her over a once-steaming mug of coffee and a Danish. He hasn't touched either yet. She's debating reminding him that they exist. She's on her third Danish and fifth mug – _only_ because she's waiting for him to eat, of course. But he doesn't seem to have any intention of eating, blue eyes studying her intensely.

"What are you staring at?" She whispers.

"I just don't want to forget…" Dick sighs again, dropping his eyes. "Never mind. It's not important."

 _So we'll just keep each other_

 _As safe as we can_

 _Until we reach the border_

 _Until we make our plan_

 _To run, run, run, run_

Artemis doesn't know how she feels about Dick's obsession with changing her hair color. First ebony for Tigress, and now sunset-orange for Anissa O'Reilly. That's the name on her fake passport.

It's a pretty name, as aliases go. And she kind of likes the possibilities a redheaded Anissa present. So she's going to keep the passport and the hair dye and use them again for fun sometime, assuming this works and that the Justice League doesn't throw the two of them in some other-dimensional prison for the rest of their lives. Either one would break her heart, but each for its own reason: Wally or Dick. A martyr or a prisoner.

"You look like the actress who would play Anissa O'Reilly." Dick murmurs, pulling her from her thoughts. His hair is dyed a dirty blond color, so she isn't _too_ mad at him for making her change her appearance again.

She takes that as a compliment, but smacks him anyway. "And you look like the guy who would do the sound track."

He smirks at her.

They make their way up to the check-in desk. Artemis is still expecting to be stopped. Tackled by Roy or some other Justice Leaguer. Held at fist-point by Connor or Cassie. She knows that Dick is skilled at ninja-ing, but so is Batman. And one of them is a lot more ruthless. Then again, one of them is desperate.

"Good morning," Dick flashes the flight attendant a winning smile. "I'm Josh Morris and this is Anissa O'Reilly."

"May I see your tickets?" The attendant murmurs shyly.

And then they're on the plane and nobody has followed them. Nobody has stopped them. _Maybe_ , Artemis dares to hope, _everything will be okay_.

 _Won't you stay with me, my love?_

 _For another day?_

 _Cause I don't want to be alone_

 _When I'm in this state_

It hits Artemis the night before they turn the thing on. (It's some sort of portal that will open into the speed force and allow Bart to get inside, find Wally, and get out. Theoretically. Bart ended up being the mastermind behind the thing – apparently he's a genius.) But when it hits her that they're about to try this and they're about to maybe get Wally back, all she can think about is that they can fail.

Artemis is shaking so hard in the little tent Dick put up for her that she can hardly see straight – but it doesn't matter because she's sobbing so she can't actually see anyway. And then Dick is there and he's wrapping her in his arms and rocking her back and forth like a baby. He's whispering some sort of lullaby in another language but Artemis doesn't care because she wouldn't be able to make out the words even if she could understand them.

"What if it doesn't work? Oh, _Dick,_ " She chokes, "What if it doesn't work?"

He holds her tighter but he doesn't know what to say. Because, honestly, if it doesn't work it may possibly be the end of them both. "Bart will have done everything he can." (He had known Bart's sudden strandedness was fake as soon as it had happened, but he hadn't said anything. Maybe it's harsh, but sometimes blackmail is his preferred method of deal-making. It's short and sweet.) "I won't stop trying." And he knows it's true and it scares him to know that he's enslaved to this.

"I know. I know." Artemis takes a deep breath. "And I'm so grateful."

She's gripping Dick's shirt now like it's a lifeline and he allows himself to cherish the contact. He won't allow himself to be distracted, though. He rocks her gently and keeps singing.

"What are we going to do?" She whispers.

"I don't know." He replies. But he does. Dick's mind is already working on backup plans, has been since the moment Plan A was put into motion. He just doesn't want to consider his plan failing. As much as he wishes it wasn't true, there are three lives hanging in the balance now. He can't abandon Wally. He can't let Artemis down. He can't stand another hit to his bruised and broken psyche.

 _Will you stay with me, my love?_

 _Til we're old and grey?_

 _I don't want to be alone_

 _When these bones decay_

Dick doesn't know when he starts crying, but he knows that soon their sobs are indistinguishable. They're rocking and shaking as one being, and thoughts blur into emotions – the kind that nobody can explain anyway.

Dick grips Artemis tighter and tighter and Artemis grips Dick back. They're clinging to each other for dear life and Dick has barely noticed how perfectly Artemis' hand fits into the small of Dick's back when Artemis' cheek is pressed against Dick's and then they're kissing and they're kissing and they're _kissing_. And it feels so _right_ like their lips were just _made_ for each other and –

Wally. Oh, no, Wally.

They pull apart and stare at each other. Their eyes are wide and their breath comes quick and terrified from their mouths.

"What have we done?" It's unspoken, but both of them can hear it as clearly as they can feel the guilt burning in their guts.

 _Oh, run, run, run, run_

 _Run, run, run, run_

 _Run, run, run, run, run, run_

 _While I powder my nose…_

"Two minutes." Dick is attaching a harness onto Bart that will theoretically keep the little speedster from being absorbed by the Speed Force. "Less if you feel anything out of the ordinary."

"I'll come back when I find Wally." Bart says.

"No." He's wearing his Nightwing Face, and Artemis can't help but see him as a tragic hero. Giving everything to save someone he cares about. Especially when he maybe has feelings for…she takes a quick breath and shakes her head.

… _he will powder his guns…_

1:57 1:58 1:59

"Come on, Bart." Dick whispers tensely.

And suddenly, there is a flash of light so bright they are both blinded. A boom throws them to the ground and their ears are ringing until they're not and then the only sounds come from two people gasping heavily. They still can't see very well, but they stagger to their feet and manage to reach the two speedsters on shaking legs.

They collapse, arms encasing the Kid Flashes as hearts nearly give out with the strength of emotions warring within them. Then Artemis is kissing Wally, who still doesn't know what's going on.

Dick realizes that their hands are locked behind the redhead's back but he doesn't tell her. He just presses his face to his best friend's shoulder and he cries.

… _and if I try to get close..._

She's too caught up in her elation to remember to thank him, and by the time she does his mask is firmly back in place. His blue eyes meet her brown ones over his laptop. He's sitting on a wide branch of a tree. He hasn't been back to the small camp in hours because he wants to give her time to be with her returned boyfriend. And he doesn't want to see them together.

"Thank you." She says, smiling.

He smiles back, but it's not a real smile. It's guarded, and this time she knows it. She feels like she knows much more now than she did before.

"You never liked seeing us together." She states.

"It doesn't matter." He replies.

Maybe he's right. She feels oddly like she should apologize and there's something inside of her that wants to get closer to him but suddenly she can feel the space like a physical wall between them.

… _he is already gone…_

He waits to spend time with Wally for two days. He hacks into his trust fund to amuse himself in between occupying Bart and transfers all of it to an offshore account. Then he carefully pays back all the people he stole from, bouncing the money across the world so it can never be traced by anyone but Tim (because he still yearns to be seen as a hero).

He thought it would get easier to see her with Wally. He thought he was over her. It seems his feelings were hiding just below the surface all these years. It's a shame, because he really likes spending time with the two of them.

After forty-eight hours, he begins to compose a message to the Justice League. A confession, as it was. He writes one for her too and forges her signature at the bottom. It takes most of the day because even though he knew what he was doing he's still afraid now that it's time to face the music and he just wants to find the right words to say. Words that will _maybe_ make them understand.

He sends the confessions at exactly the sixty-second hour of Wally's return along with their coordinates. Wally still hasn't spoken more than three words to him.

… _I don't know what we're doing…_

"Bart." He appears behind the little speedster, who jumps in surprise.

"W-what?" The second Kid Flash tries to regain his composure.

He doesn't have to say any more because he has already told Bart about this part of the plan. He's told her, too, but he hasn't told her that it's happening now. Bart's lower lip trembles, and he zips over to wrap his arms around him and bury his little vibrating face in his former leader's chest.

It takes the two lovebirds about minute to get back to camp when the ship breaks the calm of the jungle. By the time they get there, he's already being led to the holding cell with his wrists cuffed in front of him.

"Wait!" It's the first time Wally's been truly aware of what his friend has done for him. "You have to let him go – this is a mistake – he was only trying to help…!"

Bart pads along behind him until Flash pulls his grandson gently away. The little speedster whimpers and holds onto the red spandex for dear life.

She doesn't protest, because she knew this was coming. In her mind, she's back in the hotel room, seeing him out of the corner of her eye as he props himself up and explains what's going to happen without fear. And she knows she's not going to be punished for her part in the crimes they both committed. He's too good to leave her any loopholes. She just wishes that he wasn't so honest so he could cackle his way out of this like he has so many other things.

… _I don't know what we've done…_

"I'm the worst best friend in the world!" Wally moans.

From behind the bars, he shakes his head. "This isn't your fault." He says.

He's spread-eagled on the wall, hands and feet invisible behind heavy metal cuffs that are attached to said reinforced steel wall. He knows that the League is showing their respect for him by going to these lengths, and he's grateful for that. But there's another part of him that despairs because he knows this means there will be no mercy at the trial.

"You shouldn't have done this, man." The redhead rests his head miserably on the bars that are energized to resist his molecular vibrations. "I don't deserve it."

"You deserve to live, Wally." He says. "And so does she." He smiles brightly despite the fear and foreboding because his plan worked. Wally is safe and the two of them can finally live the life they wanted away from all the superhero stuff. And if his freedom is the price for their happiness, he will pay it. Gladly.

… _but the fire is coming…_

It's night when the power goes off and the masked assassin is blowing the cell door off its hinges. He struggles, frantic and confused, but the cuffs do their job too well and the last thing he sees is Cheshire's clawed gauntlet wrapping around his face to smash his head against the wall.

He wakes up in the middle of a forest. He doesn't know where he is, but his wrists are tied together with rough rope. He pushes himself onto his knees and tugs experimentally at his bonds. A hand grips his shoulder and for the first time in almost a decade he is startled because he didn't hear whoever it is come up.

A pale arm wraps reaches around him, brushing his waist as its hand clasps the rope on his wrists. Another arm circles from the other side, this hand tucking a very familiar set of keys into his palms.

"Birds don't belong in cages." She whispers brokenly to the back of his head.

… _so I think we should run_

 _I think we should run_


End file.
